The present invention relates generally to children""s ride-on vehicles. More specifically, the invention relates to a children""s ride-on vehicle having a drive assembly adapted to reduce the forces applied to the vehicle, such as during changes in speed and direction.
Children""s ride-on vehicles are reduced-scale vehicles that are designed for use by children. For example, children""s ride-on vehicles include a seat adapted to accommodate a child and a steering mechanism and drive assembly adapted to be operated by a child sitting on the seat. One type of drive assembly that is often used in children""s ride-on vehicles includes a battery-powered motor assembly that is adapted to drive one or more of the vehicle""s wheels. Typically, the vehicle will include an actuator, such as a foot pedal or other user input device, that enables a child to select when power is delivered to the motor assembly. Some drive assemblies further include other user input devices, such as a speed selector and a direction selector, that are operated by a child sitting on the vehicle""s seat to select the speed and direction at which the vehicle travels.
One problem that children""s ride-on vehicles experience is damage to the vehicle body or drive assembly that is caused by changes in speed and direction, and especially by rapid acceleration or sudden changes in direction. Under a rapid acceleration or sudden change in direction, the inertial forces of the vehicle have to be overcome. The vehicle""s drive assembly bears much of the burden of overcoming the inertial forces, and therefore these forces can damage the components of the drive assembly. The vehicle""s body also bears some of the inertial forces, and therefore it too may be damaged during sudden changes in speed and direction. If these forces are significant enough, they may render a portion of the vehicle inoperational, thereby requiring repair or replacement of the vehicle. Even if immediate damage does not occur, repeated application of these forces may cause wearing and or deformation of the vehicle""s body or drive assembly, which over time may also render the vehicle inoperational. The likelihood of damage to the vehicle increases as the size of the vehicles increases, as the vehicles are designed to move faster, and as the weight carried by the vehicles increases.
A children""s ride-on vehicle according to the present invention includes a reduced scale chassis having a seat configured to accommodate at least one child. The vehicle further includes a drive assembly, which includes one or more drive wheels and a battery powered motor assembly. The battery powered motor assembly includes a motor output and a torque attenuation system, which is configured to regulate the transmission of torque from the motor assembly to the one or more drive wheels. The torque attenuation system incorporates a force-reducing mechanism adapted to receive a rotational input from the motor output and regulate the transmission of that rotational input to the one or more drive wheels.